Page 32

TWENTY-EIGHT

emmanuel

"Congrats, Mav," Danny says as he slides onto the stool beside Maverick. "Lis is over the moon that you and Lisa are engaged. I swear she pierced my ear drums with the scream she let out when she got the text."

No one knows that I proposed to Clodagh three months ago.

Right now, we’re not going to announce it as Clodagh doesn’t want to take the spotlight away from Lisa and Maverick.

At this stage, I’m all for getting married before we tell anyone.

But I know Clodagh will want Lisa there.

Firstly, she’ll have to tell her about us and the fact we’ve been together for almost three years.

"Thanks, man," Maverick says. “Although, I think half the neighbourhood heard Melissa screaming on the phone to Lisa."

"Lis adores Lisa. Though I gotta say, my wife is in a mood. Apparently, she feels neglected that she didn’t get a proposal.”

“So how did you manage to get Melissa to marry you?”

"She was pregnant," Danny says simply. “When’s the wedding?”

"The fucker has chosen Valentine’s Day,” Denis says, laughing. “Now we’ve got to listen to our wives talk about how romantic this shit is.”

Freddie chuckles. “He’s only doing it on Valentine’s Day so he doesn’t forget the date.”

"Two months, though, Mav?” I say with a raised brow. “You sure that’s enough time?”

“With Lis and Callie involved,” Danny sighs, “you’ll not need to worry about it. They’ll organize everything.”

"Yeah, I'm counting on it. Lisa's already mentioned they've started a group chat for ideas."

"God help us all," Denis groans, taking a long swig of his beer. "Remember Chloe’s wedding? I thought we'd never hear the end of it."

"At least this time, it's not your wallet on the line," Stephen chimes in, a hint of amusement in his voice.

My cell buzzes and I see it’s Clodagh. The tension leaves my shoulders.

Fucking finally. She was supposed to leave as soon as her exam finished but she said she had a doctor’s appointment.

Thankfully, she hasn’t had a migraine since the day I came home to her in bed, but I have been urging her to get checked out and make sure everything’s okay.

Clodagh: Just in the car. Leaving now. I’ll make a quick pit stop to grab food, but I should be in Dublin around eleven. Can’t wait to see you. Love you.

I quickly reply just as phones buzz around me, letting me know the men’s women are finished with their dinner. “Time to go,” Stephen mutters as he rises to his feet.

Exiting the bar, the chill hits me and I grit my teeth. Fuck, it’s going to freeze tonight. I just hope Clodagh gets here safely.

The women are waiting for us as, each of them watching their men as we cross the road.

Fuck, I miss Clodagh. It’s been months since I’ve spent longer than a weekend with her.

From the shit going down with Maverick getting kidnapped and jobs for Cole and The Agency, it’s been fucking crazy.

Why does everyone want jobs done so close to fucking Christmas?

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I hear a high-pitched whining sound. One that I know all too well. My eyes dart around, searching for the source of the sound.

Callie’s muffled scream hits me but I don’t look. I already know what I’m going to see. Someone’s been shot.

"Everyone down!" Maverick roars and I hear them dropping to the ground. I know the women are safe. Right now, I’m scanning the rooftops, trying to find out who did this.

"Fuck!" Denis yells. "Where's it coming from?"

"Over there!" I snap, seeing movement at the top of the building. Whoever the fuck it is, they’re on the move. We need to move quickly if we’re going to catch them.

I turn my head and I finally see it. Finally see who was hit by the bullet. Ava. Callie’s best friend and the woman Freddie has loved since he was a kid. Fuck. She’s dead. I’ve killed too many people not to know.

Maverick, Stephen, Freddie, and I take off running toward the source of the gunfire. I already know what we’re going to find when we reach it. The fucker who did this will be gone. Fuck.

I lead the way to an alleyway and then up onto the fire escape ladder. Christ, I need to know what the fuck is going on. Why the fuck did they shoot at the women? Who was the actual target? Was it Ava or was it someone else?

“Fuck,” Freddie snarls as we get to the top of the ladder and climb onto the roof. “They’re gone.” He runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “I want that motherfucker found.”

“Shit,” Stephen growls, his voice low and filled with anger. “What the fuck?”

Maverick moves toward Stephen, where there’s something on the ground.

"What is that?" Freddie asks, peering over Maverick’s shoulder with wide eyes.

Mav carefully picks up the objects in question. A single bullet casing and an Ace of Hearts card, now slick with blood.

"Fuck me," I breathe. "They left a calling card."

“Who did?” Freddie snarls, his fists clenched at his sides. “Who the fuck shot Ava?”

I shake my head. I have no idea who shot Ava, but something about the Ace of Hearts is familiar and I can’t fucking put my finger on it. “I don’t know.”

“Fuck,” Stephen grunts, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Let’s get back to the women and check on Ava.”

My gaze collides with Mav’s. We both know Ava is gone. It’s fucked up that someone took her out. Of all the women in the group, she’s the one who isn’t in this life. Fuck, she was in America up until recently.

We make it back to the women and they’re all crying. Danny’s hunched over Ava’s body, his fingers pulling her eyelids closed.

“No,” Freddie snaps, his voice cracking with anguish. "No, no, no!" He drops to his knees beside Ava's body, cradling her head in his hands. "Baby,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to her head.

Christ, he’s absolutely gutted, and I would be too if it were Clodagh. Fuck, I need to get to her.

"We need to move," I say low. I don’t want to be around here. "Whoever did this could still be watching."

Freddie turns his gaze to me, anger and pain blazing in his eyes. “I’m not fucking leaving her,” he growls.

“Brother,” Danny says low, “I’ll stay with you, but the women should go home.”

"Alright, let's get the women out of here. Pyro, Raptor, you take Chloe and Mallory home. Denis, get Callie and Melissa somewhere safe. Stephen, get Jess home and stay with her," Maverick says, his voice thick with anger.

Everyone’s hurting and everyone’s in pain. Ava was one of ours and now she’s lying on the pavement with a bullet wound to her chest. Someone knew what the fuck they were doing.

Something about this entire situation isn’t sitting right with me. Whoever shot her knew what the fuck they were doing, which leads me to believe that she was their intended target, but the question remains: why? Why Ava?

"I'll call Jer and let him know what’s going on," I say, my voice hoarse.

Nothing makes any fucking sense, and right now I need Clodagh to be with me. The fact she’s driving alone makes me antsy. Fuck.

I call Jer. “Emmanuel, everything okay?”

"No, everything's not okay," I say grimly. "Ava's been shot. She's dead, Jer."

There's a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. "What the fuck happened?" Jer demands.

I quickly fill him in on the details—the sniper shot, our pursuit to the rooftop, the bullet casing and the Ace of Hearts card left behind.

"Jesus Christ," Jer mutters. "This is bad, Emmanuel. Really fucking bad. Who the hell would target Ava, of all people?"

"I don't know," I admit. "But whoever did this is a professional. The shot was clean, and they were gone before we could catch them."

"Alright, I'm calling in some favors. We need to find out who's behind this and fast. In the meantime, I want everyone on high alert. No one goes anywhere alone, you hear me?"

"Got it," I reply. "I'll let the others know."

As I hang up, my mind goes to Clodagh. She's out there alone, driving to Dublin. My heart races as I call her.

No answer. Fuck.

I try again. Still nothing.

"Everything okay?" Maverick asks, noticing my agitation.

"Clodagh's not answering her phone," I say, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "She should be on her way here from Galway."

Maverick's expression darkens. "Try her again. If she doesn't answer, we'll send someone to meet her on the road."

I nod, dialing Clodagh's number again. Please, baby, pick up.

This time, the call connects. "Emmanuel?" Clodagh's voice comes through, sounding confused. "Is everything okay?"

Relief floods through me. "Clodagh, where are you?"

"I'm at a petrol station just outside of Athlone," she replies. "I stopped to get some food and use the bathroom. What's wrong? You sound upset."

"Listen to me carefully," I say, my voice low and urgent. "I need you to stay where you are. I'm sending someone to meet you and escort you the rest of the way to Dublin."

"Emmanuel, you're scaring me," Clodagh says, her voice trembling slightly. "What's happened?"

I take a deep breath, torn between wanting to tell her everything and not wanting to frighten her more. "There's been an incident," I say finally. "Ava's been shot. She didn't make it."

Clodagh gasps. "Oh my God. Oh no, poor Freddie. Is everyone else okay?"

"Yes, everyone else is fine," I assure her. "But I need you to be safe. Please, just stay where you are until our guy gets there. Okay?"

"Okay," she agrees, her voice small.

“Jason’s on his way,” Maverick says, his cell to his own ear. “He’s in Mullingar. He was on a job for Jer. He’ll be with her within thirty minutes.”

I breathe deeply. Thank fuck. “Did you hear that, baby?”

“Yes,” she says, her voice trembling. “Be safe, Emmanuel. I love you.”

I close my eyes, savoring her words. Christ, I need her with me. “Love you too, baby. I’ll see you soon.” I end the call and turn back to Maverick.

"Jason will keep her safe," Maverick assures me. "He's one of our best."

I nod, still feeling on edge. "I know. I just... I need her here with me."

Maverick clasps my shoulder. "I get it, man. We all feel that way about our women right now."

We turn our attention back to the grim scene before us. Freddie is still cradling Ava's body, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. The other men are securing the area, making calls, trying to piece together what the hell just happened.

But still, there’s that niggling feeling. Nothing about this shit sits right.

* * *

Two hours later and the place is crawling with police. They’ve been asking questions, demanding to know why their witnesses have gone, but thankfully they backed the fuck off once Jer arrived. Now, we’re trying to focus on getting any piece of evidence we can.

“We need to find out who the fuck did this,” Jer growls.

“Why take out Ava?” I ask. “I mean, no offense to her, but she’s not dating any of the men. Yes, she means a fucking lot to Freddie, but if you’re wanting to hurt someone, you’d take out a wife or significant other.”

“The calling card means something,” Danny hisses. “Someone’s left us a message.”

“The Ace of Hearts? It means nothing to me,” Jer snaps agitatedly. “It doesn’t make sense.”

It doesn’t, but at the same time it does. There’s something that I’m missing, and the moment I realize what it is, I’ll have a better picture of everything. Fuck, why can’t I remember?

“Where’s Freddie?” Mav asks.

I glance around and see that he’s nowhere in sight. Fuck, he’s gone. I can’t lie, I would be too.

“Fuck,” Jer growls. “I’m on it, don’t worry. You all go home and keep the women safe. We don’t know who did this or when they’ll strike again.”

"We need to increase security," Mav says, his voice low and filled with anger. His sister, niece, and woman were close to the bullet. "Around the clock protection for all of them."

"I'll make some calls and get our best men on it," I say through gritted teeth. I’ll make the calls while I’m on my way to Clodagh. Thirty minutes after our phone call, I got a text message letting me know she was with Jason. They should be here any moment.

"Good," Jer says, his eyes scanning the area one last time. "Go home, all of you. We'll regroup tomorrow.”

As I head to my car, my mind is racing. Who would target Ava? And why leave that calling card? There's something familiar about it that I can't quite place.

I'm about to get in my car when I see headlights approaching. My hand instinctively goes to my gun, but I relax when I recognize Jason's SUV. Thank fuck.

The car pulls up and Clodagh jumps out before it's even fully stopped. She runs to me and I wrap her in my arms, breathing in her scent.

"Emmanuel," she sobs against my chest. "I was so worried."

I hold her tighter, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, beyond relieved that she’s here. "I'm okay, baby. You're safe now."

She pulls back, her eyes searching my face. "What happened? Who would do this to Ava?"

I shake my head. "I don't know. But I promise you, we're going to find out."

Clodagh nods, wiping her tears. "Okay. What can I do?"

"Right now, just stay close to me," I say, leading her to the car. "We're heading home where it's safe."

As we drive, I fill Clodagh in on what happened, careful to leave out the more gruesome details. She listens quietly, her hand gripping mine tightly.

"Poor Freddie," she whispers when I finish. "He must be devastated."

I nod grimly. "He is. We all are."

As we enter our apartment, I do a quick sweep to make sure everything's secure.

"Emmanuel," Clodagh says softly once I've finished checking the locks. "There's something I need to tell you."

I turn to her, concern etching my features. "What is it, baby?"

She takes a deep breath, her hand going to her stomach. "I'm pregnant."

For a moment, I'm frozen in shock. "You're... we're going to have a baby?" I ask, my words thick and hoarse.

Clodagh nods, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I found out today at the doctors. I'm about twelve weeks along."

I pull her into my arms, kissing her deeply. When we break apart, I rest my forehead against hers. "I love you so much, Clodagh. You and our baby."

As I hold her close, I'm hit with a fierce wave of protectiveness. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my family safe. Whoever is behind Ava's murder had better watch out, because I won't rest until they're found and dealt with.